​U.S. Senate candidate Wil Cardon apparently didn't get the message when ousted state Senate President Russell Pearce got a voter-assisted boot from office last week.

Pearce's historic downfall -- combined with a recent poll showing that the vast majority of Arizonans support a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants -- seems to suggest that Arizonans are warming up to a more moderate approach to handling the illegal immigration problem.

Not Cardon, though -- who's running for the Senate seat getting vacated by retiring Senator Jon Kyl -- he supports the same down on brown immigration policies that got Pearce kicked to the curb.

"Unlike Barack Obama -- and my opponent [in the GOP Senate primary] Jeff Flake -- I oppose amnesty and I will not reward those who break the law," Cardon told supporters at a campaign event at his Phoenix headquarters this morning.

As for the poll, released last week by Arizona State University's Morrison Institute for Public Policy (more on that here), Cardon isn't surprised that 78 percent of Arizonans support a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants -- but that's not gonna stop him from vehemently opposing any type of amnesty.

"That poll doesn't surprise me at all," Cardon tells New Times. "That's what we all want, is to
help people out -- but helping people out by letting people break the
law and get ahead of others who haven't is not the solution."

According
to Cardon, he's a compassionate guy, but when it comes to illegal
immigration, "If you don't take care of the problems first that are
causing the
problems behind it, you don't solve anything. As a result we have to
first enforce the laws we have here and secure the border and control
who's coming back and forth."

Opposing Cardon in the GOP Senate
primary is Congressman Jeff Flake -- and Cardon already is on the attack
(which is interesting considering Cardon served on Flake's finance
committee for his Senate campaign until he decided to run for Kyl's seat
himself).

"Until he flip-flopped, my opponent Jeff Flake spent 10 years as the
leading advocate in Washington for amnesty," Cardon says. "He worked hand-in-hand with
the Washington liberals. Together they have refused to respond to
America's most pressing need: securing our border."

As Flake was working "hand-in-hand with the Washington liberals," and
acting as "the leading advocate in Washington for amnesty," Cardon
admits he was dumping money into Flake's re-election campaigns.
Additionally, Cardon also dropped some coin to get Senator John McCain
re-elected -- even as McCain supported plans for comprehensive
immigration reform.

"I gave money to [McCain and Flake] in the past," Cardon explains. "No one agrees with every
politician 100 percent of the time. As a result, I thought they were
doing what was right back then -- when people start making different
decisions, I change my opinion."

And that's the part that's so perplexing.

As Cardon says, "when people start making different decisions," he
changes his opinion. For example, when Flake flaked on his support of
amnesty -- and supported immigration policies similar to Cardon's --
that's when Cardon changed his opinion and decided he no longer supported
Flake.

In other words, Cardon supported Flake until Flake started agreeing with him.

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I wouldnt put much stock in this poll. to believe this poll it would have u believe that all of a sudden 80 percent of the people in arizona flipped to support amnesty since the all the polls indicating they were against amnesty. i dont believe that at all weve spent years getting the employers law passed and found constitional by the supreme court we have the remains of 1070, which steve gallardo admits that its a long shot to get that repealed (especially with a governor that would more than likely veto the bill )if they got it passed.as for the stopping in the middle of a street to look for workers its stiill against the law to stop in the middle of a street theres nothing in the constitution that sez immigration enforcement is imited to the federal governmentHOLDERS JUSTICE DEPT is anti white according to an investigation where former employees testified to that . like letting the new black panthers stand outside polling places with a billy club saying the black man is gonna win today.i guess thats why az has a concealed weapons law . the newspaper say that 1070 made thousands of illegals leaveas for the poll, released last week by Arizona State University's Morrison Institute for Public Policy (more on that here), Cardon isn't surprised that 78 percent of Arizonans support a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants -- but that's not gonna stop him from vehemently opposing any type of amnesty.

"That poll doesn't surprise me at all," Cardon tells New Times. "That's what we all want, is to help people out -- but helping people out by letting people break the law and get ahead of others who haven't is not the solution."

Current Immigration Laws were called broken and dysfunctional by many politicians and Mr. Obama himself. There are 4.5 American citizen children who live every day in constant fear of losing one or both parents due to deportation, there are thousands of American citizens who cannot adjust their spouses status. American citizens face separation from their family members for unknown period of time, possibly indefinitely.

Sign the Petition at http://wh.gov/b9y to return the value to the term : AMERICAN CITIZEN by:Immediately adjusting immigration status of American citizen's immediate family members (parents, spouses, children) to Permanent Resident.

I see the media has decided that everyone in Arizona supports the "new" amnesty for violators of federal law who illegally occupy space in the United States. Anyone who does not agree with the new feel good media spin will be compared to this guy. As far as being for the people, he's supposed to be for the citizens of this country and not people who are here illegally. And being rich is a disqualifier for office? Give me a break. I don't see where he says he hates anyone. It looks like many of the commenters see invisible words in this article. He suppports federal law. My, what an evil person.

This is just another pasty faced, fat fucking white boy who was bullied all his life and if he just poses long enough for his close up people will see what a statesman he really is. In the meantime of course he is just another, in this case, young hate filled repub whose true goal is make laws that allow him to live and steal as he wants while denying everyone else a decent life. Just another repub punk who already has or will commit a felony.

A very rich Mesa MORmOn trying to find his way in the obscure world of right wing extremism and priesthood meetings!

When will the Mormon's figure out that the only path to the white house for cult members is not to beat brown people over the head with the law book during the week, when you take every dime of their tithing on Sunday! I bet he is passing out Book of Mormons to all of the illegals as they are arrested and escorted out of the state/country!

65% of the tithing and monies collected by the MORmON church comes from dark people in third world countries! Layoff with the we hate brown people crap or quit taking their money on Sunday!

Wil, be honest. You were raised with money. You went to the right colleges and now you realize the only way to win is to run as some kind of immigration hawk. If you really disagreed with Flake and McCain and Bush on immigration you wouldn't have given them all boatloads of family money.

The Latin population will be a majority in our state as well as many other in less than 30 years. You cannot stop the inevitable so create a policy that encompasses that fact! We have used immigrant labor in our country to grow our country to its highest level. we need that labor to continue to grow! In the future give them work visa' that allows them in our country while not gaining citizenship. Have them pay taxes and pay into social security and not collect any collect social benefits! They were born in a different country let them retire in their country and collect benefits in that country not ours!

The only ones who are the haters, are the hateful Anti-American bigots and the Racists, who continue to make the crime of Illegal Immigration, about race. It is nation vs nation, not race vs race. We cannot help it, if the vast majority of Illegals are hispanic. They come from predominantly hispanic countries, like Mexico. We can't help the fact, that the U.S. is predominantly white. The Real Racists do not seem to have a problem, with the Illegals who are predominantly hispanic, but they do have a problem with this country being predominantly white. If the U.S. was a predominantly hispanic country, trying to Deport hispanic Illegals, who would they call the Racists? Russel Pearce has done more for the war, against the Illegal Invaders. Several States have implemented several Anti-Illegal Alien laws like SB 1070. In Alabama, their law has made Illegals flee. Obama has stopped some of it, but it has already scared the Illegals to run. Just today Pennsylvania Republican ran state House, just passed one of their Anti-Illegal Alien bills. Russel Pearce is a hero to Americans. The Anti-American bigots, can continue to crow about recalling Russel Pearce, to the end of the earth. So what? You have already lost the war. Obama cannot stop us all. We have already won, because this is our country and we will do whatever it takes, to remove the Illegals.

Walter Dumbass, Its not the mimic we must address its his message! The laws we are enforcing are old and almost indefensible. Until clear immigration / drug policies are defined by the people / government, we will never come close to solving the border crossing crisis! Arresting and deporting the cheap labor is not a fix! Giving them legal access and taxing them accordingly would be a nice place to start!

Interestingly, most of us who post here support federal immigration laws. What we have a problem with is the misapplication of those very laws by some agencies in their quest for media attention, such as MCSO.

I honestly don't believe most citizens of the United States believe in a program of blanket amnesty. But I do believe that most people think there must be a better, smarter, and less costly way to deal with those here illegally that to try to deport them all in any given period of time. In fact, some of those very people may actually be very good, productive, tax paying folks who work for, or with, us at various times.

It appears to me that Mr. Cardon is spewing mush, simply because he doesn't know what he might actually believe, but damn, it sure sounded good at the time. His physical appearance makes me wonder if he shouldn't be delivering the gospel, instead.

maybe not if a majority of people in AZ truly favor some sort of amnesty or at least some sort of pathway for them to become legal, which is something I support. Some of the people who want that are also republicans I am sure.

Spot on silverspoon, Cardon and his clan have been donatingto McCain, McFlake and McRomney for over a decade - tens of thousands ofdollars. Heck McCardon was an intern for McCain, worked on McFlake’s reelection campaigne’sssssss, and was on McFake’s SenateFinance Committee pulling in money for Fake when he (Cardon) announced he was goingto run against because he didn’t like Flake’s record. http://patriothq.com/page/2

There is nothing good about an Illegal. The first thing someone does in your country, is to break your laws and many after that, is not a good person. Alabama has the smart cheap way. They have spent very little money, with their Anti-Illegal Alien bill and thousands of Illegals are fleeing their state. Other states like Pennsylvania is starting to pass strict Anti-Illegal Aliens bills. More states in January will be doing the same. The Illegals are leaving. Just a question of time. Obama can't sue us all.

I dont see any racism there? I am white and I think the same.. does that make me racist against white people some how? AFTER all I hate everyone that is a moron equally, no matter what race they are or religion they belong to.

I hate mormons as much as I hate christians and members of any other religion. Why? Because they all kill each other over stupid crap. My god is better than yours. My dick is bigger than yours. My car is better than yours... when will people figure it out?

I am a Mormon! - There are many Mormons that follow and practice acceptance of all of mankind no matter what the skin color! It is individuals that spew hate from there personal pulpit, like Russell Pearce and Mr Cardon, who wrap themselves in the cloak of Mormonism, while defiling their fellow man to promote their own political position in the community who I do not agree with.

I dont hate, I firmly despise the action of many mormons in AZ politics for not getting the bigger picture.

All of you "Immigration Hawks" better watch out, especially in Az. A few more years of the disastrous effect conservative leadership has had on the state's economy and you just might be trying to climb the wall to find work in Mexico to feed your families.

Seriously do you not understand what the real issue is! White people break laws in our country at the same rate as Hispanics! Companies hire them and there is demand for them! Companies illegally hire them by giving them jobs that circumvent the Tax and Social Security systems, There would not be a demand for them if there was not a place for them work! States do have the right to pass band aid laws that don't address the real issue but until there is a federal policy to make sure every state is protected then we will continue to have huge holes in the border! for example if every state but New Mexico passed very strict immigration laws then there would be boatload Mexicans flooding New Mexico's border! It needs to be a nationwide policy!